There’s nothing like some decent tunes to get the party started. So here are some of the best party songs to help you get down and boogie.
Contents
- Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson
- Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
- Get Lucky – Daft Punk
- Low – Flo Rida ft. T-Pain
- Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
- We Found Love – Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyoncé
- Push It! – Salt-N-Pepa
- SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
- Dance Monkey – Tones and I
- U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- In da Club – 50 Cent
- September – Earth, Wind & Fire
- Happy – Pharrell Williams
- Jump Around – House of Pain
- Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough – Michael Jackson
- I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson
‘Uptown Funk’ is a confident, fun-filled track about being successful and having fun dancing and partying. It’s interesting in that it was one of two songs released in 2014 that referenced Michelle Pfeiffer—the other being Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’—at a time when Pfeiffer was not appearing in any hit films.
Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
This song was inspired by Shakira’s insistence that her band members needed to watch her hips to see how a song’s moves needed to be arranged. It was based on Wyclef Jean’s song ‘Dance Like This,’ as well as the track ‘Amores Como el Nuestro’ by Jerry Rivera.
Get Lucky – Daft Punk
Here’s a song about staying up all night partying and hoping to find passion. Nile Rodgers played guitar for the track while Pharrell Williams provided vocals.
Related: This one is a popular choice for feel good soundtracks.
Low – Flo Rida ft. T-Pain
This song finds Flo Rida mesmerized by a woman’s dance moves. It makes heavy use of product placement and was used in the soundtrack for the film Step Up 2 The Streets in 2008.
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
‘Party Rock Anthem’ is a club staple that focuses on shuffling and dancing the night away at a party. It was LMFAO’s only hit and had Motown influences, as member Redfoo was the son of Motown’s founder.
We Found Love – Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
Rihanna’s uplifting hit about finding love against all odds was a very popular party and dance track after its release. It was the singer’s sixth Number One hit in Britain. Each song that hit Number One was released within a five-year period, which is a record that only Rihanna has ever held in the female solo artist category.
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyoncé
Beyoncé encourages women to leave their boyfriends if they don’t propose in this iconic girl-power hit. The song isn’t likely biographical, as the singer didn’t even want a ring during her own engagement.
Push It! – Salt-N-Pepa
This is mostly a simple track encouraging listeners to dance. The lyrics were meant to be secondary to the rhythm. It samples from The Kinks and James Brown.
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake sings of seductive dancing with this track. Timberlake has said that it has a James Brown feel to it.
Dance Monkey – Tones and I
Tones and I was inspired to write this song while busking, as she felt like a trained monkey trying to entertain people. The lyrics make more sense if you replace the word “dance” with “sing.”
U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
MC Hammer sings of an untouchable beat in this dance hit. The music is based off of Rick James’ ‘Super Freak.’
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
This song finds Whitney Houston feeling hopeful about finding someone to love while out dancing. It was the lead single from Houston’s second album and a huge success.
Dancing Queen – ABBA
A teenage girl wows everyone on the dance floor in ABBA’s classic track. It was an international success and became the world’s first Europop disco hit.
In da Club – 50 Cent
This song’s complex lyrics are mostly about hanging out at the club. It references five different rappers throughout.
September – Earth, Wind & Fire
‘September’ was inspired by a protest on the 21st of September. It’s known for its happy sound that fits in perfectly at parties.
Happy – Pharrell Williams
This song about being happy and encouraging it in others was one of the very few pop hits that was composed by one person; Pharrell Williams wrote the entire song in addition to singing it. It was part of the Despicable Me 2 film soundtrack.
Related: This also appears on our playlist of songs about happiness.
Jump Around – House of Pain
This dance-fueled song about jumping was one of the defining hits of the 1990s. The “jumping” theme was popular among hip-hop artists in 1992 when this track was released.
Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough – Michael Jackson
This classic, which could be about not quitting on love or on life in general, won Michael Jackson his first Grammy Award. The vocals were written to be so high-pitched that Jackson had to be overdubbed in some places for the right effect.
I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas’ sing of having fun, dancing, and partying to forget your woes in this hit. It samples David Guetta’s ‘Love Is Gone.’
